Pub 'everyone knows' has been brought back to life and people are 'discovering it again'

When Bobby Dix took over The Pig & Whistle he wanted to return the pub to its former glory. The historic boozer, found on the corner of Chapel Street and Covent Garden in Liverpool city centre, closed in July after some tough times in recent years.

The building dates back to the early 18th century when it was both a boarding house and a brothel. It became a pub in 1875 and it was named after the crew bars on ships which are commonly known as the Pig and Whistle, or Pig for short, as it served plenty of dockers and seafarers.

Bobby, 42, who worked at The Pig under the previous landlord, took the licence on from owners Star Pubs and reopened the venue on September 20 after working to smarten it up. When he told the ECHO he was reopening it, he said he wanted to get it "back on the Scouse round of great pubs."

READ MORE: Family business that's served Merseyside for decades to close as sites sold

READ MORE: Wetherspoons, restaurant and new station suggested for Radio City tower

He has worked hands-on to smarten it up, making cosmetic changes - including interior decoration, new upholstery and some exterior additions, including flower beds and new signs. Things have started well in the five weeks since Bobby reopened the doors and he believes he has the people of Liverpool's love for this storied institution to thank for that.

As he prepared to open for the day on Friday, Bobby told the ECHO: "The people of Liverpool have a really deep connection to this pub, mostly because it's a mariners' pub and was for many years. It's among the oldest and it's Georgian in terms of how it was built.

"Almost everyone who has grown up around Liverpool knows what it is. It's only the younger generation who are a bit more clueless about it, because it's had a patchy last 10 or 20 years. Maybe it's not the sort of pub that's on the radar of younger people, but anyone who is over 30 knows The Pig and knows what it is.

"I think we've been doing alright as a result of it - partly the ECHO article (about reopening) as well, partly some of my active, quite silly social media - people have been coming in.

"I thought October would be a lot of thumb-twiddling. I thought it would take a while for word to spread, but Liverpool is a place that loves its pubs and especially old pubs like this.

"So I think word has gradually spread about. Things like River of Light have helped, there's more footfall coming through and past. People who might have just stopped in to use the loo have maybe stayed for a pint, so it's been good, steady trade."

Bobby has also been heartened by the loyalty of regulars, who have made their way back to The Pig after he reopened. In particular, he has been touched by the return of a statue of a pig playing a whistle from a regular's widow, after they were gifted it by a previous landlord.

He explained: "There were some lads who lived and worked around this area for years who still came in regularly on a Friday afternoon and evening. They had heard from the widow of a former colleague - a chap called Len Mitchell, who died in 2016.

"His widow Heather, who lives on the Wirral now, still had this pig. Len had the pig when Tommy Flanagan - the then-landlord - left the pub in 2005 and he gifted it to Len as a souvenir.

"The pig (statue) had been over there for 19 years as he was gifted to Len. Heather wanted it to come back to The Pig (pub). It's decorative but maybe not the sort of thing you would want in the house.

"Heather arranged for us to drive over and we got it, brought it back after almost 20 years away. I thought it was going to be a generic thing but it looks to me like it was almost custom-made for the pub."

The pig statue, which was returned with a letter written as if it was from the pig itself, now sits pride of place in the fireplace, currently flanked by some Halloween pumpkins. Bobby thinks the return of the statue encapsulates how much the pub means to people.

The returning statue is not alone - there are a number of pig ornaments dotted around the pub. Many of them have been donated by drinkers as Bobby runs a 'pig for a pint scheme', where people can swap a statue for a beer. It is all part of the whimsical approach he is bringing to the pub.

He said: "A big challenge is the outside - you want to make people want to come in and not be too intimidated. The new signs help, my business partner wanted something bolder and I think we kept it within the scope of what the original signs were.

"They are more noticeable - they're not lit yet though. That's another challenge down the line. Things like that flowers outside and the board hanging them in makes it a bit more welcoming and less prison-like.

"On that side, I've got some silly slogans that I printed out. Some people might think that I'm playing a bit fast and loose with the history or being a bit too flippant or silly with it, but this is a pub that needs to have personality.

"Running it as a regular boozer obviously didn't work for 20 years, so I'm trying to put a little bit more of my whimsical side into making it a fun place. People are enjoying it so far.

"A lot of the regulars are delighted. They now enjoy their visits rather than just tolerating them.

"Then a lot of people from the Unity Building opposite come in, I had a voucher system that I put in their boxes and loads of people have come in and redeemed those. People from other buildings like Oriel Chambers are discovering us again and I think I've done enough with the outside for people to take a chance on coming in again and most people are liking it."

In order to achieve that, Bobby has been working hard on his refurbishment. He explained: "The layout is the same, but this room has been upholstered, there's some new signage outside, all the bar area has been sanded back - that was four days of me with a borrowed B&Q sander and I've done some painting as well.

"The central beam across this room, it was that horrible plastic wood effect, but I've just painted over it to try to break it up and brighten it up. That was the idea, to make it warner, brighter, and now it's an aggressively neutral cream almost everywhere. But I think it feels cleaner and nicer.

"I upholstered these seats with the help of my girlfriend's mum, so with the help of friends and family, we've got it up to what I think is a pub-able standard, but before it probably slipped below that standard."

Of particular note is the pub's 'celebrity corner', which features pictures of stars who have visited and a bit of detail about their time there. On there already is Steve Coogan, former Liverpool player Ronnie Whelan and Barbara Streisand among others.

There are a couple of additions on the way as well. Bobby explained: "I also believe that Prince Philip used to drink in here during his navy days, so the Duke of Edinburgh will be going up here.

"But also Dean Sullivan, who played Jimmy Corkhill in Brookside, was directing a play at the church one summer and he would come along every lunchtime with his dog and have a beer. Considering how esoteric that list is - to add Prince Philip and Dean Sullivan up there is a nice combination."

Bobby is happy with how it is all going at The Pig and thinks he is well on the way to getting it where he wants to be. He explained: "The bar is absolutely a focal point.

"About 70% of people like being at the bar, sitting up and talking at the bar. If they're on their own or in a couple, they tend to gravitate there and befriend each other.

"People who want a bit more privacy tend to go in there, especially when the karaoke is on. This room can be a little bit loud, with the speakers, but the other room can be a bit quieter and it's a bit cooler. So that's a nice secluded bit.

"We're getting busy and a couple of occasions we've had to use the room upstairs. There are some sofas up there that people can escape to."

Bobby added: "At the minute, I haven't really had the time to breathe and organise it properly but when I'm settled down and get a couple more people that I can trust on the bar to help me run it and then I can focus on making it feel like a proper old-school boozer."